"Scraped Knees And Skinned Noses", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

Not too many will read this one today. Those that know just enough Scripture to hurt them will send this to cybertrash. They know what's coming.

1 Peter 2:8 - "And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God's] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do."

Let's put one thing to rest right off the bat. Don't see this Scripture as a bailout. Don't cop the "appointed to do so" plea. As if God dealt you a bad hand in life. It doesn't say you were destined to disobey and disbelieve, it says those who disobey and disbelieve are destined to stumble and fall. There is a huge difference.

Lot's of Christians live with those spiritual scrapes and bruises. It's like the kid who always gets hurt. That was me. The kid who always gets hurt. I got hurt because I didn't listen to good advice. I always knew better. I was always hurt.

Don't run on sandy surfaces. Don't stand on that branch it won't support you. Don't sit backward when riding your bike.

I guess I was hurt so much that when I became a Christian I saw good sense in passages like this one. People who don't heed the Word of God get banged up pretty good. I was tired of being banged up.

It was time to believe God.

It's time for you to believe God. Maybe you already do. I'm just sayin'. Maybe you don't.

I can always tell the ones who don't. My question is, when are you going to stop being the bug and become the windshield? How many scraped knees and skinned noses do you have to patch up?

It's downright painful to watch people tripping over the same Rock and Stone all of the time. How many scrapes and bruises can one person sustain?

I love when a person finally assesses the situation and decides "Since I'm down here, I think I will try embracing the Rock for once."

It's such an easy fix. Obeying God.

What's your scraped knee? Financial problems? What's your skinned nose? Chronic ailments? Is life a black tuxedo and you feel like a pair of brown shoes? Do you live by the old adage, "Sometimes peanuts, sometimes shells", and for you it's usually shells?

I'll betcha you're not known as Johnny-On-The-Spot when it comes to church goin', and bible study, or prayer meeting, or giving, or...

Tired of tripping OVER Jesus instead of walking WITH Him? Then do something about it.

Sheesh, what's it gonna take? I've seen more people get motivated by a Gatorade commercial.

Your disobedience and disbelief is causing you to stumble. That's what the Word says. Don't shoot me. I am just the messenger.

So...stop "dissing" Jesus. Obey and believe Him instead.

Simple fix. Don't you dare say it's too hard. Don't you dare blame Jesus for your failures. Get up. Clean up. Change your bad habits.


Sometimes maligned, occasionally accused, but always...

...Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><